G/LIC/N/2/PHL/106  
 
 18 May 2020 
(20-3649) Page: 1/5 
Committee on Import Licensing  Original: English  
 
AGREEMENT ON IMPORT LICENSING PROCEDURES  
NOTIFICATION UNDER A RTICLE 5.1 TO 5.4 OF  THE AGREEMENT1 
PHILIPPINES  
The following notification , dated 5 March 2020 , is being circulated at the request of the delegation 
of the Philippines . 
 
 Category  Notification details  
1 Notifying Member  Philippines  
2 Title of new 
legislation/procedure  Memorandum Circular No. 20 18-002, Regulation of the 
Manufacturing, Importation, Exportation, Distribution, Sale, Rental 
and Other Commercial Activities Involving All Technical Variations of 
Optical and Magnetic Media  
3 Date of Publication  
 19 April 2018 
4 Date of entry into force  
 04 May 2018 
5 Website link/Official 
publication of the new 
regulation/procedure  https://omb.gov.ph/references/memorandum -circulars -2/  
6 Have you attached a copy of 
the regulation (PDF) to the 
Secretariat  
  Yes. ( Please attach a copy of the regulation to the notification. ) 
 
 No. 
7 Type of notification   (a) New licensing regulation/procedure2; (please answer question 
8 to 14)  
 
 (b) Changes to a regulation/procedure which has been pre viously 
notified in document: ______________ ;  ( please answer question 
15 and 16 ) 
8 List of products subject to 
licensing  USB Flash Drives or Thumb Drives  
Secure Digital (SD) Cards  
Network Attached Storage (NAS)  
External/Internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD)  
Solid State Drive  (SSD)  
Cellular Phone  
Tablet Computer  
Portable Music Player  
Internet -Based File Storage and Synchronization Service  
ISDs or Illicit Streaming Devices (set -top boxes, Android TV boxes)  
 
Please  refer to the attached Annex A – Product List  
 
 
1 It is understood that the notifying Member has also completed its notification obligations under 
Article  1.4(a) and Article 8.2(b) regarding the relevant law/regulation/procedure notified for by filling this form 
in a full and complete manner.  
2 "New licensing regulation/procedure" is understood to refer to any newly introduced law, regulation or 
procedure, and those which are in force but being no tified for the first time to the Committee.  
 G/LIC/N/2/PHL/106  
 
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   Category  Notification details  
9 Nature of licensing  Automatic:  
  
Non-Automatic:  
10 Administrative 
purpose/measure being 
implemented  (a)  Protect public morals;  
(b)  Protect human, animal or plant life and health; protect 
environment;  
(c)  Collect trade statistics or market surveillance;  
(d)  Protection of patents, trademarks and copyrights, and 
the prevention of deceptive practices;  
(e)  Pursue obligations under the UN Charter and other 
international treaties ( i.e. CITES, Basel Convention, 
Rotterdam Convention, UNSC Resolutions etc.)  
(f)  Quota (including TRQ) administration;  
(g)  Regulate imports of arms, ammunition or fissionable 
materials and safeguard national security;  
(h)  Other:  Regulation of Optical and Magnetic Media 
Industry  
11 Administrative body(ies) for  
submission of applications   
 Ministry/authority and Department: Atty. Anselmo B. Adriano, Chair 
and Chief Executive Officer  
Address: 2/F OMB Building, #35 Scout Limbaga Street, Laging 
Handa, Quezon City 1103 Philippines  
Website: www.omb.gov.ph  
Telephone:  632 – 374 0217  
E-Mail: chair.adriano@omb.gov.ph  
12 Contact point for 
information on eligibility  Ministry/ authority and Department: Registration and Licensing 
Division  
Address: 35 Scout Limbaga Street, Laging Handa, Quezon City 1103 
Philippines  
Website: www.omb.gov.ph  
Telephone: (632)374 -1393/(632)374 -0237  
E-Mail: 
licensing@omb.gov.ph/rldchief@yahoo.com/shieryl@omb.gov.ph  
13 Expected duration of 
licensing procedure  Ongoing  
14 A summary of the 
notification in one of the 
WTO official languages   This measure provides for the set of requirements  and procedure  for 
the registration, licensing and issuance of permits to entities, 
establishments and individuals engaged in the manufacturing, 
importation, exportation, distribution, sale, rental, and other 
commercial activities invol ving storage devices, for commercial 
purposes.  
 
The objective of this measure is to effectively regulate various 
commercial activities involving storage devices as part of the 
nationwide campaign against piracy.  The specific registration, 
licensing and pe rmit application requirements are available at 
www.omb.gov.ph .  
 
15 In the case of 7(b), please 
indicate the type of new 
change(s)  (a)  Termination  
(b)  Suspension  
(c)  Modification of specific details in existing  
procedures:  
 Product coverage;  
 Administrative purpose;  
 Automatic or Non -automatic;  
 Duration of licensing;  
 Change the nature of quantity/value restriction;  
 Eligibility of applicants;  
 Contact information on eligibility;  
 Administrative body(ies) for submission of application;  
 Documentation requirements (including application form);  G/LIC/N/2/PHL/106  
 
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   Category  Notification details  
 Period for Application;  
 Administrative body(ies) to issue licence;  
 Processing time for issuing licence;  
 Licence fee/administrative charge;  
 Deposit/advance payment and relevant conditions;  
 Appeal regulations/procedures;  
 Validity of licence;  
 Other conditions of licence (extension, transferability, 
penalty of non -use etc.);  
 Foreign exchange requirements;  
 Other: __________ (please specify).  
 
 
16  Please elaborate the 
changes in detail (in one of 
the WTO official languages)  
 N/A 
 
  G/LIC/N/2/PHL/106  
 
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  ANNEX A – PRODUCT LI ST 
OPTICAL MEDIA BOARD (OMB) REGULATED PROD UCTS  
Schedule “A”  
 
List of Manufacturing Equipment for Optical Media  
 
Direct Stamper Recording System  
DVD upgrade kits 8471.70.40  
Electro forming equipment that make stampers  
Equipment for Coating Laser Sensitive Substance on Compact Disc or Recordable Compact Disc 
8430.61.00/8422.21.00  
Equipment for spin coating glass masters with a photo resistant layer  
Glass or polymer masters  
Injection molding machinery  
Integrated optical disc replication lines  
Laser Beam recorders 8466.93.90A  
Metalizers for applying reflective layers to optical media  
Moulds and components thereof  
Signal processing system for Laser Beam Recorder  
Stamper or other metal parts (or parts made of other materials)  
And/or other equipment, part, accessories as may be determined by the OMB  
 
Schedule “B”  
 
List of Manufacturing Material for Optical Media  
 
Any material, such as, but not limited to, optical g rade polycarbonate or polycarbonate substitutes 
with physical properties suitable for the manufacture of optical media.  Suitability shall be measured 
by a melt flow index (MFI) which shall be determined by the OMB.  Unless otherwise determine, 
polycarbona te or polycarbonate substitutes with MFI of not less than 45 grams per ten (10) minutes 
at 300 degrees Celsius at 1.2  kilogram load shall be considered as suitable as manufacturing 
material, for purposes of these Rules. 3907.40.00  
 
 
Schedule “C”  
 
Types of Optical Media  8523.29.99  
 
CD (compact disc)  
CD-A (compact disc digital audio)  
CD-I (compact disc – interactive)  
CD-P (compact disc – photo)  
CD-R (compact disc recordable)  
CD-ROM (compact disc read -only memory)  
CD-RW (compact disc rewritable)  
CD-WO (compact disc write once)  
CVD (China video disc)  
DVD (digital versatile disc)  
DVD-RAM (digital versatile disc random access memory)  
DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read -only memory)  
EVD (enhanced versatile disc)  
LD (laser disc)  
MD (mini disc)  
SACD (s uper audio compact disc)  
SVCD (super video compact disc)  
VCD (video compact disc)  
 
 
  G/LIC/N/2/PHL/106  
 
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  Magnetic Media 8523.49.13.000  
Floppy Disks 8471.70.10  
Data Cartridge 8471.70.30  
VHS 8523.29.21  
Or any technical variation thereof, now known or to be known in the future.  
 
OTHER REGULATED PRODUCTS  
 
Hard Disk Drive 8471.70.20  Portable HD 8523.29.71  
Optical Media Writer  
Optical Media Drive 8471.70.40  
 - MC No. 2016 -001 
 
Printing ( Ink) 3215.11.90A/3215.19.00B  
Accessories  
Add-Ons  
Supplements relative to Optical and Magnetic Media Products  
Labels  
 - MC No. 2016 -005 
 
Plastic CD Casings 3923.10.10  
CD Sleeves  
Aluminum, Tin or Metallic CD Casing  
CD Spool  
CD Albums  
CD Trays/Shelves  
 - MC No.  2016-007 
 
 
Other Storage Devices  85.23  
USB Flash Drives or Thumb Drives  
Secure Digital (SD) Cards  
Network Attached Storage (NAS)  
External/Internal Hard Disk Drive (HDD)  
Solid State Drive  (SSD) 8523.51  
Cellular Phone  
Tablet Computer  
Portable Music Player  
Internet -Based File Storage and Synchronization Service  
ISDs or Illicit Streaming Devices (set -top boxes, Android TV boxes)  8528.7100  
 - MC No. 2018 -002 
 
Note:  Numbers in italics  represent the HTS Codes.  List updated and approved on 13 September 
2019.  
 
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